Shutter-worker.



No. 632,365. Patehted Sept. 5, I899. s. L. POWELL.

SHUTTER WORKER.

A nmion am: m 31, 1599. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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aiiorng No. 632,365. Patented Sept.'5, I899;

S. L. POWELL.

SHUTTER WORKER.

(Application filed May 31, 1889.)

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NE 'TAES SAMUEL L. POWELL, OF NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA.

SHUTTER-WORKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,365, dated September 5, 1899. Application filed May 31, 1899. Serial No. 718,891. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL L. POWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newberry, in the county of Newberry and State of South Carolina, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shutter-Workers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that form of devices for opening and closing to any desired extent the outside shutters or blinds of buildin gs from within the building and without the necessity of raising the windows.

In carrying out my invention. I employ on each shutter a guideway in which is pivoted the shutter-fastener, and this guideway receives an operating-rod which is actuated by novel connections from within the building to release the fastener and then swing the shutter to the desired position and hold it thus against any ordinary atmospheric influences, but susceptible of use as a bufferunder extraordinary wind-pressure to allow the shutter to swing without liability of damaging the apparatus or window, all as I will proceed now more particularly to set forth and finally claim.

In the accompanying drawings, illustratin g my invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of sufficient of a window to illustrate my invention in place and with the shutter standing half open. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the guideway and one member of the shutter-fastener. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the guideway in longitudinal section and the operating-rod in place. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a modification. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a bearing-plate for the rod-gear. Fig. 6 is an elevation of one of the bearings for the crankshaft. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the shutterfastener with the guideway in cross-section. Fig. Sis a plan view of the leading end of the operating-rod of Figs. 1, 2, and 3; and Fig. 9 is a similarview of the rod of Fig. 4. Fig. 10 is an elevation of one form of operating crank or handle.

The shutter 01, has applied to its lower portion, withoutamortising or cutting, the guideway I), which comprises tha base-flange b, by which it may be secured to the shutter, the

elevated runway 6 slotted longitudinally, the box b having its inner side 19 inclined, the incline or cam b and the housing I), in which is pivoted the shutter-fastener lever c. This lever c has its operating-arm c projecting up Wardly into the box 13 and between the outer head of the box and the camb The lever c has its heel notched at c to engage the housing b to hold the latch in a position to prevent its end 0' from falling too far forward to in-- terfere with the movement of the leading end of the operating rod presently described. The complemental member 01 of the shutterfastener may be as usual. (See Fig. 7.) The operating-rod ehas its leading end curved and I is provided with a roller or rollers e,as in Fig. 8, and is arranged to travel in the runway. Itsother end is adj ustably applied to the hub f of a gear-wheel f by a set-screw g, so as to permit accurate adjustment of parts to adapt them to the shutter to be operated. The gear- Wheel f is stopped in a bearing-plate h, Figs. 1 and 5, which is fixed to the windowsill, jand it meshes with a gear-wheel 2', which is secured to the squared outer end of a crank- ,shaft j. These gear-wheels are arranged in a housing k, which is secured to the window- 1 sill. The shaft j has its bearingin a bushing ,Z, Figs. 1 and 6, which rotates in a suitable hole in thehousing. i The shaft j rotates ina hole in the windowsill and projects within the building, where it is supplied with a thrust-collar m, which is arranged in a bearing-plate n, fastened to the window-facin g. A squared portion 0 may be provided near the inner end of this shaft to receive the crank or operating-handle p, or this handle may be applied in any of a great variety of ways to rotate the shaft. The inner end of said shaft is screw-threaded at q to receive a nut r, by which the collarm may be drawn up against the plate nin order to bind the shaft frictionally against rotation, and thus to secure the parts in adjusted po sition without the aid of other detents, but obviously this frictional locking of the parts will yield slowly to extraordinary pressure, as in high winds, and permit the slowmovement of the parts and without danger of breaking. Of course other forms of locking devices may be substituted for that just described; but I prefer what is shown and described because of its simplicity and its yielding capability.

Instead of the guideway and operating-rod described I may use a guideway composed of a bent rod .9, Fig. 4:, in which the cam s is an added piece. The rod i may be forked at its leadingend, Fig. 9, to straddle the rod 8, and in such forked end is the roller u.

The operation is as follows: When the ap paratus is installed in substantially the-manner indicated in Fig. 1 and it is desired to open a closed shutter, the thumb-nut r is slackened and the crank is turned so as to rotate the shaft j and its gear-wheel i and through it the gear-wheel f, wherebya swinging motion is given to the rod 6. When in closed position, this rod 6 has its leading end and roller contained within the box If in front of the arm a of the shutter-fastener lever, and said shutter-fastener lever is in locked engagement with the catch d. The continued rotation of the crank imparts a motion to the leading end of the operating-rod in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, and so the roller end of the operating-rod forces the end 0' of the lever toward the shutter and lifts the said lever out of engagement with the catch, and then, the shutter being free, the pressure upon the operating-rod is exerted upon the cam 11 and tends to swing open the shutter, and then the leading end of the said operating-rod follows down the runway 12 until the shutter is arrested at the desired opening, and when the desired opening is effected the nut 'r is tightened and the parts held or locked in such position. \Vhen it is desired to close the shutter, the crank is rotated in the opposite direction, and the leading end of the operating-rod travels in the reverse direction in the runway, and its roller is guided in front of the lever c by means of the cam b and the inclined end of the box I) into a position that will admit of the said lever engaging the catch by gravity, the leading end of the operating-rod assuming a correct position for the next operation of opening the shutter.

As already sufficiently indicated, the provision of the hub f to receive the operatingrod adj ustably admits of the application of a given standard or size of shutter-worker to shutters of different widths.

A further feature of importance in adapting a given size or standard of apparatus to a variety of windows is the construction of the shaft j with the squared end j, so that if the window-sill happens to be narrow the said shaft may have its squared end pushed through the gear-wheel i and the bushingl until the crank meets the facing-plate n, and then, if necessary, the projecting end of said shaft may be cut oif outsidethe housing.

It will further appear that the operating mechanism is assembled in or upon the window-sill.

I have shown the housing for the shutterfastener in Figs. 2 and 3 as made integral with the guideway, but obviously it may be made separate therefrom.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the box is in the nature of a deflection from the plane of the runway in order to accommodate the operating-rod in its combination with the shutterfastener, and the same is true of the modification shown in Fig. 4; but my invention is susceptible of use with other forms of shutter-fasteners, and, in fact, maybe used without combination with a shutter-fastener, although the convenience of the combination of shutter-worker and shutter-fastener is obvious, and, in fact, is preferred.

Obviously the apparatus described is susceptible of modifications in details of construction and arrangement within the principle of my invention, and I wishto be so understood as claiming my said invention.

That I claim is 1. A shutter-worker, comprising essentially a guideway adapted to be applied to the surface of the shutter, and consisting of baseflanges, a longitudinally-slotted runway terminating in a box having the near side inclined, a cam-surface in the base of said guide- Way at the entrance to said box, an operatingrod having the leading end provided with a roller and arranged to travel in said runway, means to actuate said operating-rod, and a shutter fastener, the movable member of which projects into the said box and is adapted to be released by the movement of the said operating-rod in opening the shutter, substantially as described.

2-. A shutter-worker, comprising essentially a guideway having its outer end deflected to form a box, a cam arranged at the entrance end of said box and next to the shutter, an operating-rod having a curved leading end pro vided with a roller and engaged with said guideway, means to actuate said operatingrod from within a building, and a shutterfastener having its movable member extending into said box and into the path of movement of the leading end of the operating-rod, substantially as described.

3. A shutter-worker, comprising essentially a guideway, a housing at its outer end, a shutter-fastener lever pivoted in said housing, an operating-rod having its leading end arranged in said guideway and adapted to cooperate with the shutter-fastener to unlock it, and means to actuate said operating-rod, substantially as described.

4. Ashutter-worker, comprising essentially a guideway adapted to be applied to the shutter, an operating-rod having one end in engagement with said guideway, gearing adapted to be arranged upon a Window-sill and connected with said operating-rod, a shaft for actuating said gearing provided with a thrustcollar, a plate to receive said shaft and thrustcollar and a clamping-nut to hold said shaft against rotation, substantially as described.

5. In a shutter-w orker, the combination of an actuating-shaft having a thrust-collar, a

bearing-plate therefor, an operating device for said shaft, a clamping-nut applied to said shaft, gearing actuated by said shaft, and means for connecting said gearing and the shutter, substantially as described.

6. A shutter-worker, comprising essentially a guideway adapted to be applied to the shutter, an operating-rod in engagement with said guideway, means to actuate said rod, and a 10 shutter-fastener arranged adjacent to said guideway and in the path of, movement of the operating rod and having a notched heel adapted to engage its housing, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 15 my hand this 29th day of May, A. D. 1899.

SAMUEL L. POWELL. Witnesses:

T. S. DUNCAN, J. W. M. SIMMONS. 

